


how long does it take to fall in love?

by princedoyeom



Category: 1The9 (Band), 언더 나인틴 | Under Nineteen (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Two Shot, basketball player jung jinsung, basketball player jung taekhyeon, basketball player kim junseo, basketball team captain lee seunghwan, cinnamon roll park sungwon, dancer doyum, doyum is bullied, doyum needs a hug, fluff then angst then fluff, hurt doyum, jinsung needs a hug, jinsung/doyum, jinyeom, jinyum, junseo/seunghwan - Freeform, perfect guy jinsung, seven days!au, student council officer shin yechan, student council president yoo yongha, student council vice president kim taewoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 22:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18583432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princedoyeom/pseuds/princedoyeom
Summary: jung jinsung has a pattern. ask them out, date them for exactly seven days, then break up with them.his new boyfriend? jeon doyum.jinsung:i didn't know falling in love would be this hardor,my spin on a jinyeom seven days!au that no one asked for





	1. pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> surprise surprise~ bet u thought you've seen the last of me? lmao hello!
> 
> whaddup whaddup guys it's me back at it again with ANOTHER self-indulgent fic for 1THE9's 2002 liners! THIS IS A LONG ASS FIC WITH 17K+ WORDS I HOPE U FINISH READING IT!
> 
> WARNINGS!!! this fic contains bullying and violence! please be warned! if you are easily triggered, this fic is not for you!! 
> 
> ps. i never forget to say this but PLS PLS if you don't like the ship, feel free to leave too!!
> 
> THE DAYS ( D-1, D-2) AREN'T A COUNTDOWN, they're for keeping track of the seven days that jinsung and doyum have been dating uwu !!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day zero to day five

* * *

 

jung jinsung has dated a lot of people, and when i say a lot of people, i really do mean **_a lot_** of people. excluding those he’s dated during his whole freshman year and counting only those he’s had from the first term of his sophomore year, jung jinsung has had about, give or take, eighteen relationships so far.

see? he’s dated **_a lot_** of people.

has he ever had feelings for the people he’s dated? ehh, sort of? he liked them at some point, that’s for sure. who would ask someone out for absolutely no reason? not jinsung. sometimes he gets asked out, sometimes he just finds someone pretty good-looking, or sometimes he finds the other person pretty cool or nice to talk to. no matter how shallow the reason was, as long as jinsung finds them interesting, he’ll ask them out, no questions asked.

as far as feelings go though, jinsung doesn’t love them, oh god no, but he never really liked them too much to the point where he would want to continue dating. the relationship itself is more of a business deal anyways. they get their chance to date one of the most popular guys in school, they get the chance to date the son of one of the biggest conglomerates in south korea, and jinsung gets to continue his search for “the one.” it’s nothing personal and the people he’s dated knows this, cause jinsung himself says it outright before asking them out.

jung jinsung has a pattern. he asks people out, he dates them, and if by the end of one week he still doesn’t hold strong feelings for them, then as demi lovato and ariana grande said in their title tracks, sorry not sorry, thank u, next.

* * *

  _ **[wednesday; d-0]**_

* * *

 

 

“we have basketball practice later at four, don’t be late again alright?”

jinsung groans as he lets his head rest on his crossed arms over his desk. he and his best friend slash basketball teammate, jung taekhyeon, were currently in their classroom, doing anything but studying since their professor left the classroom in a rush earlier after receiving an urgent phone call.

“don’t take that tone with me, young man or else i’m telling coach to take you off of the starting line up.” taekhyeon says as he smacks jinsung’s head. the other lifts his head up before he speaks.

“you’re literally younger than me.” jinsung deadpans as he stares at the other. taekhyeon just stares back before he sees jinsung scowl and look away.

“you never win against me in a staring contest. you’re so weak. anyway, whatever man, just don’t be late okay?” taekhyeon says as he ruffles jinsung’s hair.

“i’ll try not to. i’ve kind of got something to do later at three thirty.” jinsung says as he smiles cheekily at the other, his other hand waving a pink envelope in the air. taekhyeon knows what that means.

“another one? really, jinsung, how many more people do you have to date before you actually settle for one person? be honest, you just don’t want to be tied down, do you?” taekhyeon asks. jinsung laughs.

“oh taek, c’mon, you know me. i’ve got no issues with being tied down, I just… I guess I just haven’t found the right person to get tied down to, that’s all.” jinsung says. taekhyeon just stares at him, a bored glint in his eye.

“don’t look at me like that, they all know my ways anyways. and actually, these past few months,” jinsung waves the envelope once again in front of taekhyeon’s face, “they’ve been asking **_me_** out!”

taekhyeon rolls his eyes. “whatever floats your boat man. so, who’s that from? a guy or a girl?”

jinsung takes a look at the name written on the envelope.

“it’s from a girl this time, she’s from 1-A and her name is kim yeeun.” he says. taekhyeon just makes an “o” with his mouth.

jinsung smiles.

“goodluck man, and as for practice, I can only stall for thirty minutes. show up after that and you’re on your own.”

jinsung frowns.

* * *

 

it was three twenty five pm., and jinsung was on his way to the meeting place that was written on the letter that freshman kim yeeun gave to him.

 _i wonder what kind of girl she is._ jinsung thinks to himself. as he walks, he stops for a while because he hears… music? jinsung’s curiosity gets the best of him and he follows the sound before he sees an isolated shed of some sort.

 _huh... i didn’t know there was a shed here._ he thinks as he walks on over. as he peeks inside, his mouth falls open.

the chorus of bts’ i need u was playing from the speakers, and in the middle of the room was a person, his school coat was off and put away on the couch and jinsung thinks he’s a sophomore too judging from the color of his tie. he was dancing along to one of jinsung’s favorite songs, and the way he moves was just so beautiful that jinsung couldn’t help but let out a small breathy, “wow.”

the other’s head snaps to him, wide eyes displaying worry, surprise and after recognizing jinsung… fear?

jinsung puts his hands up immediately in surrender.

“i’m sorry, it’s just me.”

the dancer doesn’t answer, he just stares at jinsung before he makes his way over to the speaker quickly and turns it off.

“hey, i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to interrupt you, please keep going.” jinsung says as he takes a step closer inside the shed. the other turns to him, eyes still wide and fearful.

“w-where are your other friends?” he asks. jinsung cocks his head to the side.

“what? you know me?”

“n-not really. i know that you’re part of the basketball team, that’s it. y-your friends have been torturing me since the second term of freshman year.” the other takes his flash drive from the speaker before he grabs his coat off the couch. as he puts it on, jinsung sees the other’s name tag, jeon doyum, section 2-A.

okay, now jinsung knew a couple of guys in the basketball team, but since he just got accepted in the middle of his first term this sophomore year, he wasn’t really all that close to any of them except for the current starting lineup.

“i don’t really hang out with most of them, i mostly talk to the current startups, but aside from them, i don’t know anyone else in the team.” jinsung says, trying to look as earnest as possible. doyum looks at him doubtfully for a few seconds until he shakes his head and gives a bow before he walks past jinsung.

“wait!” jinsung was stunned, but he manages to grab the other by the shoulder before he turns him around.

“p-please don’t hurt me!”

jinsung didn’t mean for it to be so rough but apparently, to doyum it was and his hands were raised up in front of him for defense. jinsung was shell shocked, he ends up letting go of the other’s shoulder. doyum sinks into the floor, hands on his head as he crouches down, eyes shut as he lets out a small whine.

“h-hey, i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to hurt you, i’m not here to hurt you.” jinsung crouches down in front of doyum as well, hand softly patting doyum’s back. the other slowly lifts his head up, and jinsung is struck with an unfamiliar feeling as he sees the other’s eyes filled with sadness and brimming with tears.

_must. protect._

jinsung grabs doyum’s hands before he looks into the other’s eyes with determination.

“my name is jung jinsung. please go out with me.”

doyum’s eyes widen, and his mouth falls open.

“w-what?”

jinsung’s stare didn’t falter.

“let’s go out, you and me.”

doyum flushes red before he takes his hands from jinsung’s grasp.

“i-i’m sorry but why would you want to go out with me?” he says as he stands up. “is this a prank? d-did your basketball friends put you up to this?” jinsung didn’t like the expression on doyum’s face, and he didn’t like the fact that he was the one who put it there.

“no! no one put me up to this, i don’t even know half of the guys in the basketball team.” jinsung follows suit.

“t-then why?” doyum asks. jinsung merely shrugs before he takes doyum’s hand again.

“you’re pretty cute, i like cute, plus i can protect you. those bullies of yours wouldn’t dare come across me and my friends.” jinsung says. doyum scoffs.

“i don’t need your protection.” doyum answers with a small snarl. jinsung laughs, _he has some claws, i see._ he ruffles doyum’s hair with his other hand.

“okay, maybe you don’t need me to protect you, but i still want to. come on, jeon doyum.” jinsung says again.

“how’d you know my name?” doyum asks him suspiciously. jinsung points to doyum’s coat where the his name tag was pinned. doyum blushes red with a small, “oh.”

jinsung lets out a small laugh again before he peers at doyum.

“so, how about it jeon doyum? will you go out with me?” doyum bites his lower lip as he looks at his hand that was being held by jinsung. he looks at jinsung, whose eyes were looking back at him with hope. doyum lets out a sigh before he nods.

“yes!” jinsung pumps his fist to the side. doyum gives out a small laugh as he takes his hand from jinsung’s and starts to walk away.

“hey come on now,  don’t be like that!” jinsung says as he runs to catch up to doyum.

“jinsung! practice! now!” from a distance, jinsung hears someone shout for him. jinsung curses as he looks at his watch, seeing the time 4:10 pm before he looks over to where his friend taekhyeon was. he and doyum both stop and look at each other before jinsung gives doyum a small side hug, to which doyum responds with a blush. jinsung starts to run to where taekhyeon was before he stops and turns around.

“see you tomorrow, boyfriend!” jinsung shouts as he waves his arm back and forth. doyum blushes beet red, his blush travelling from his neck all the way to his ears before he gives a small wave back and then he leaves.

as jinsung reaches taekhyeon, the other greets him with a surprised look.

“man what the fuck? the girl you were supposed to meet came up to me and asked me where you were? i thought you were going to meet her?” he asks. jinsung shrugs.

“got sidetracked. anyways, i asked someone out already so ehh, whatever.” he answers. taekhyeon shakes his head before he pats jinsung’s back.

“alright. she’ll get her chance next week, i guess. come on.” taekhyeon says.

jinsung doesn’t answer.

* * *

**_[thursday; d-1]_ **

* * *

 

 

as doyum closes his locker after getting his things for first period, he lets out a quiet squeak as jinsung’s pops up beside him, hands holding a small clump of yellow sunflowers.

“for you, since you are the sunshine of my life~” jinsung hands the sunflowers to doyum as he sings one of stevie wonder’s greatest hits.

“you did not just sing me a stevie wonder line.” doyum says with a small, shy smile as he takes the flowers from jinsung’s hands. the other laughs and puts an arm over doyum’s small shoulders.

“yes, i did. now come on, i’ll walk you over to your first class.”

now doyum doesn’t stand out in school, and he prefers it that way. he’d really rather blend in than be one of those people who are always in the spotlight. he’s actually really good at it, being a no-named individual that floats by everyday but today, as he walks down the halls under the arms of one jung jinsung, one of the campus’ most notorious heartthrobs, doyum sinks into himself as he notices all eyes were on them. some in awe, some in disdain.

“h-hey jinsung. people are staring.”

jinsung looks at doyum, confused. most of the people he’s dated actually loved the attention they got when jinsung walked with them.

“it’s alright, at least they’ll know that we’re dating now.” jinsung says as he puts his hand on doyum’s head.

“no, really, this is super embarrasing!” doyum says as he shrugs jinsung’s hand off of his head with a smile. jinsung boops his nose with his index finger.

“don’t be like that, you’re my boyfriend now. i have to let everyone know that.” jinsung once again puts his arm over doyum’s shoulder as the other rolls his eyes at him. it’s a victory for jinsung though, since the other doesn’t shrug it off this time.

“oh alright, fine. come on now, my first period’s this way.” doyum loops his own arm around jinsung’s waist and leads the way, which once again, surprises jinsung. as they reach doyum’s classroom, jinsung pulls doyum in for a quick but tight hug.

“see you at lunch, okay? i’m going to introduce you to my friends.” as jinsung starts to leave, he’s stopped by a small tug on his sleeve. he looks back and sees doyum pouting, his eyes holding a worried and sad glint.

“your b-basketball friends?” he asks in a soft, quiet voice, eyes avoiding jinsung’s. jinsung’s heart skips a beat.

_oh god, he’s so soft, i just want to put him in my pocket and protect him forever._

jinsung smiles before he grabs doyum and pulls him again for another tight hug that lasted longer than the last time, giving the boy a few pats on the back. jinsung pulls away before he takes doyum’s face into his hands.

“they’re really cool, i promise. do you trust me?” he asks as he stares into doyum’s eyes. the other just pouts before nodding a few seconds later.

“alright. see you, ‘yum.” jinsung wants to do something, but he’s contemplating whether or not he should. as doyum puts his hand over jinsung’s and smiles, jinsung thinks, _“ah fuck it.”_

doyum wasn’t expecting to feel the other’s plush lips on his forehead, but he does, and the small kiss went as fast as it came. he stares up at the other, wide-eyed, before he closes his open mouth and looks away. jinsung, satisified, smiles before he pushes doyum into the classroom.

“bye, ‘sung!” doyum says as jinsung turns to leave.

jinsung doesn't answer, he just waves a hand back.

* * *

 

doyum feels like he’s been freed from prison when he hears the bell ring for lunch. the entire atmosphere in the classroom was just… eerily suffocating, it was a miracle he got through it for the whole three hours. as doyum was packing his stuff, park sungwon bounds over to him, bag already slung on his shoulders.

“yah, hyung. i saw you and jinsung-ssi from the basketball team earlier. he had his arms around you, what was up with that?”

doyum swings his bag over his shoulder before he walks, sungwon in tow.

“we’re sort of… dating now, i guess.” doyum says, with a blush in his cheeks. sungwon’s mouth falls open before he closes it again.

“for real?! hyung, when did that happen?!” sungwon asks as they leave the classroom. doyum looks back at him before he walks into something solid. doyum looks back to the front, all ready to apologize until he sees who he bumps in to.

doyum freezes and his blood turns cold.

“watch where you’re going, fag.” doyum’s feels his shoulders get squeezed before he’s roughly shoved to the side. he feels a bruise coming on as his shoulder hits the wall.

“hyung!” sungwon rushes over to doyum’s side as the offender snickers loudly. as sungwon reaches doyum, they hear a loud shout from across the hall.

“HEY! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO MY BOYFRIEND?”

doyum looks past sungwon to see jinsung, furiously walking closer to where they were. every student moved away once they saw him, because as nice as he is, jinsung’s a beast when he’s angered. no one wanted to mess with an angry jinsung.

“shit.” doyum hears the guy say before trying to walk back slowly.

“where do you think you’re going, tough guy?” an arm slings over the guy’s neck. doyum looks back and sees basketball captain, senior lee seunghwan with his arm around the guy and jung taekhyeon. taekhyeon moves to where doyum was and looks over him once.

“are you okay?” he asks. doyum manages a small nod and taekhyeon lets out a small smile before he looks at sungwon. “and you?”

sungwon nods his head as well. “i’m fine, hyung was the only one he harmed this time.” taekhyeon nods before he stands up. jinsung finally reaches them and the first thing he does is, he grabs the guy’s collar before he slams him to the nearby wall, hand on the other’s neck. his grip was tight enough to hurt, but not tight enough to induce asphyxiation.

“you. are never going near my boyfriend again, do you fucking hear me? you aren’t allowed to talk to him,  you aren’t allowed to touch him, fuck you aren’t even allowed to look at him. the second i see you anywhere near him, i will not fucking hesitate to beat the fucking shit out of you. do you understand me?” jinsung says in a clear and deep voice. the other barely manages a nod before jinsung lets him go, and he coughs as he tries to regain his balance.

he glares at doyum once before jinsung shoves him by shoulder. “get out of here.” he doesn’t need to be told twice. the guy hurriedly leaves and seunghwan pats jinsung’s back softly.

“alright, tiger. come on, calm down now. i’ll tell coach what he’s been doing in his spare time.” he says. jinsung looks at him before he mutters a small “thanks.”

“doyum’s okay, his friend too, i think they’re just a bit shaken up.” taekhyeon says as he motions to doyum and sungwon, who were brushing the imaginary dust off of their pants as they stand up.

“it’s fine, we’re fine. this happens almost every day. we’re used to it.” sungwon says as he loops his bag once again over his shoulder.

“hey, you think i could talk to doyum alone for a few minutes?” jinsung asks them. taekhyeon and seunghwan look at each before they nod. seunghwan loops his arm on sungwon’s left arm and taekhyeon does the same with the right.

“h-hey, what the? hyung!” sungwon shouts as he looks at doyum.

“don’t worry kid, jinsung just wants a little alone time with doyum. they’ll catch up. we’ll take good care of you in the meantime!” seunghwan says as they start to walk to the cafeteria.

“yeah, man. don’t worry, we don’t bite!” taekhyeon says with a laugh. sungwon gets dragged by the two to the cafeteria, leaving jinsung and doyum alone in an awkward silence in the middle of an empty hall.

“are… are you okay?” jinsung asks as he takes a step closer to doyum. the other just looks away, eyes downcast.

“are you hurt anywhere?” jinsung asks again. doyum shakes his head, his voice refusing to make a sound. a moment of awkward silence once again passes by them.

“i’m sorry.”

“sorry.”

they look at each other, both startled by the words they both said.

“w-why are you sorry?” doyum asks jinsung. the other lets out a deep sigh before he puts his hands on doyum’s shoulder, sliding it down until he reaches the other’s hands.

“when i met you yesterday, you seemed so afraid of me, and now i know why. i’m sorry because this happens to you. i’m sorry because my teammates does this to you. i know now that you don't like violence, so really, i'm sorry i showed such an unsightly side of me earlier. i’m really sorry, doyum.” he says, squeezing doyum’s hands. the other looks at jinsung before he tiptoes to kiss the other’s cheek. jinsung’s eyes widens before he slightly pulls away to look at doyum. the other puts his hands on jinsung’s face and jinsung relaxes before he pulls doyum closer by the waist.

“what you did, was the sweetest thing anyone has done for me. you stood up for me. and i can’t thank you enough for that, so please don’t say you’re sorry.” he says as he rubs jinsung’s cheeks with his thumbs. jinsung’s cheeks burn red and doyum’s does too. jinsung leans in a bit, his eyes looking at doyum’s for some sort of approval. doyum’s breath hitches as he realizes what’s happening, and slowly, he looks at jinsung’s eyes, his nose, his lips before he leans in too.

jinsung thought that feeling fireworks explode when you kiss was only fictional. he didn’t think he’d actually get to experience that, until today.

the kiss was soft and quick, but jinsung found it to be one of the best ones he’s had. as doyum pulls away, jinsung hugs him, his much bigger form draping over doyum’s as the other struggles to keep them up.

“yah, jung jinsung!” doyum says as he pats the other’s back.

 _this is different._ jinsung thinks. he straightens up before he looks at doyum’s wide eyes again. _you’re different._

as they exchange smiles, jinsung intertwines their fingers as they make their way over to the cafeteria.

“you never told me what you were sorry about, by the way. “ jinsung says. doyum shrugs.

“i’m sorry you had to see that pathetic side of me.” doyum says nonchalantly. jinsung stops, their interlocked hands making doyum stop too, a few steps in front of him.

“don’t think of yourself like that.” jinsung says sternly. doyum doesn’t answer, he just shrugs as he looks to the side. jinsung sighs before he tugs doyum closer to him.

“come on, come here. what you need is a hug.” jinsung says. doyum rolls his eyes, a smile on his lips as he lets himself be pulled into the other’s embrace. jinsung hugs him tight before he spins the other around, getting a laugh bubbling out of doyum.

“jinsung, put me down!” doyum finally says after a few more spins. jinsung obliges and he puts doyum down before he gives the other’s nose a little peck. jinsung once again intertwines their hands.

“come on, the others are waiting for us.”

* * *

 

“hey hyung! you sure took your time going here!” sungwon says as he sees doyum sit down the lunch table, lunch tray in hand, jinsung following a few moments later.

“so, what have you guys been talking about?” jinsung asks the table.

“music and rap, mostly. did you know that sungwon raps? kid is better than taekhyeon!” seunghwan says as sungwon flushes, embarrassed.

“hey, okay, let’s not phrase it like that. we have two very distinct rapping styles and seunghwan-hyung, you just prefer his more!” taekhyeon says, his fork waving in the air as he explains. doyum looks at sungwon happily. the kid, like doyum, doesn’t have that many friends, and so he’s proud that sungwon’s making some.

“yeah, and doyum-hyung dances! his dance is so good and pretty!” sungwon says. the attention of the table turns to doyum, who blushes red.

“n-not really.” he quietly mutters. jinsung snorts.

“don’t be modest. i saw him dancing to bts’ i need u yesterday. i thought he was angel.” he says. doyum flushes even redder than before as he smacks jinsung’s arm.

“you’re a fan of bts?” seunghwan suddenly asks doyum. the other tenses, being a fanboy isn’t really all that welcome here, and it would break his heart to lose the friends he had just acquired because of it.

“u-uh, yes.” doyum answers as he prepares himself for the reaction the others might have. seunghwan smiles widely as he claps his hands like a seal.

 _okay, i did not see that coming._ doyum thinks.

“me too! and also jinsung.” seunghwan says. doyum’s surprised gaze turns to jinsung, and the other remains unbothered as he eats spoon after spoon of his pudding.

“so, you guys going to the game tomorrow?” taekhyeon asks as he looks at sungwon then at doyum.

“g-game?” doyum suddenly feels nervous. _he should, b-but…_

“-ng, hyung!”

doyum didn’t notice that he was spacing out, but he feels jinsung squeeze his hand. he looks at jinsung, then to sungwon before he realizes that the other was calling him, eyes worried.

“sorry, doyum-hyung doesn’t really do well in crowded places.” sungwon explains. doyum smiles at sungwon as if to say, _“I’m okay"_  before he looks at jinsung.

“you don’t have to go if you feel uncomfortable. it’s okay, it’s just a game.” jinsung assures him. doyum looks at seunghwan and taekhyeon who were looking at him with reassuring smiles before he looks back at jinsung.

“w-we’ll try to be there.” he says.

jinsung doesn’t answer, he just smiles, kisses doyum’s temple before he continues eating.

* * *

_**[friday; d-2]** _

* * *

 

friday nights are doyum and sungwon’s weekly movie marathons.

but this friday, instead of setting up the tv to find and watch a new movie and/or series on netflix while ordering thai takeout, sungwon and doyum finds themselves outside the school gym.

“hyung, are you sure you want to do this?” sungwon asks him again. doyum gives sungwon a determined look before he nods. sungwon nods as well.

“alright, i think they just finished the second quarter now, they’ve got a ten minute break, so let’s go surprise your boyfriend!”

as soon as doyum enters the gymnasium, he looks for one person, and one person only.

“there they are!” sungwon says as he takes doyum’s hand and drags him out of the crowd and nearer to the benches.

they aren’t allowed to go to the actual benches, so they settle for the side court nearest to it.

“taekh-“ sungwon starts to shout but doyum covers his mouth.

“don’t call them, let’s just watch the game.” doyum says, staring. sungwon follows his line of gaze before he understands why doyum didn’t want him to shout for his hyungs.

doyum’s bullies were there at the bench, giving refreshments and towels to the players. if sungwon shouted for the others’ attention, they might see them and cause trouble for doyum again. even though one of them was warned by jinsung yesterday, the other two still weren’t and it would kill sungwon to cause trouble for his hyung.

“alright.”

as the buzzer signaling the start of the third quarter sounds throughout the gym, doyum takes out a small handmade poster he did, with jinsung’s name written on it in huge fonts and a smaller “you can do it!” written down below. sungwon smiles cheekily at him and he couldn’t help but blush. his embarrassment aside, he cheers loudly for jinsung and the others when their team scores. at the end of the third quarter, their scores fall slightly behind the other team, and doyum could feel the tension in the benches as they take a small break.

“okay, hyung i know you said not to call them, but at least let them know we’re here and that we’re cheering them on? please?” sungwon says as he tugs doyum’s shirt. doyum looks at the three bullies and figuring that they’ve got more things to do anyways than pay attention to them, he nods. sungwon smiles widely before he proceeds to call the others.

“taekhyeon-hyung! seunghwan-hyung! jinsung-hyung!” he shouts. taekhyeon notices them first, before he waves back widely, a smile finally breaking through his lips. he taps jinsung and seunghwan before he points to the bleachers. jinsung’s eyes searches for a minute before he finds what taekhyeon was pointing to.

_doyum. he’s here._

jinsung’s heart skips a beat as their eyes meet, and doyum gives him a sweet, sweet smile.

_I thought sungwon said he didn’t do well in large crowds? did he go here… for me?_

jinsung looks over to seunghwan, who was smiling now too at them before he contemplates on whether or not he should go to doyum.

_he’s really here, and he’s holding a poster for me what the fuck, this is the first time… someone’s done this for me._

jinsung hears doyum shout his name before he waves his poster higher.

_ah, fuck it._

jinsung runs on over quickly to doyum, whose eyes widen.

“jinsung, what are you doing! get back there!” he hears doyum shout. he doesn’t go back, and once he reaches doyum, he grabs the other’s collar and he pulls him in for a quick kiss. the crowd around them goes wild with jinsung’s public display of affection.

“that… is my new goodluck charm.” he says as he lets go of the other. doyum, embarrassed and blushing, smacks his head before he tells jinsung again to go back.

“cheer loudly for me, okay?” he says before he runs back, all smiles and energized.

needless to say, they turned the game back around. the previous score of 58 – 65 from the third quarter ended with a whooping 83 - 74, and when jinsung ended the game with a beautiful three point hook shot, the crowd goes wild. as soon as he lands from his jump and sees the ball enter the rim, jinsung scans the crowd and looks for one tuft of fluffy silver hair.

jinsung sees him, and his heart beats loudly than the cheers he hears around him. doyum’s eyes disappears as they take the shape of a crescent moon, dimples out on display and lips giving a huge smile. jinsung was congratulated by all of his teammates, but his eyes were only for one.

“yeah, guys, good game, gotta go.” he says before he runs on over to where doyum was again.

“congratulations!!!” doyum shouts as he throws his arms around jinsung for a big hug, not caring that the other was all sweaty. the other hugs back just as tight, and he spins doyum around once before he lets him down.

“that last shot… was for you.” he says softly. doyum gives him a smile before takes a small handkerchief from his pocket and proceeds to dab it softly on jinsung’s face.

“you did great today, jinsung. i’m proud of you.” he says. jinsung hugs doyum tight, burying his face on the crook of doyum’s neck.

“…thank you.” he whispers. despite the loud cheers of the people, doyum manages to hear it and he softly pats the other’s back. “you’re welcome… boyfriend.”

* * *

 

 jinsung’s arm was slung over doyum’s shoulder as they walk out of the gym about thirty minutes after the game. 

“you were so good, hyungs! when taekhyeon-hyung got the ball after junseo-ssi’s beautiful steal, ugh, it was so good!” sungwon was blabbing on and on about the game to seungwhan and taekhyeon, who smiles and absolutely adores him.

“drop the –ssi, sungwon-ah. i don’t mind you calling me hyung too.” junior kim junseo says as he smiles at the youngest. he was currently with the group as well, as they make their way out of the gym. sungwon nods enthusiastically before he starts to talk again.

“you didn’t tell me sungwon was a basketball freak.” jinsung says as he and doyum stare at sungwon in delight.

“yeah, he binged watched three seasons of this anime series on netflix about basketball, I think it was kuroko’s basketball or something?” doyum says back, his hand moving to intertwine with jinsung’s hand that was hung over his shoulder. jinsung smiles before he plants a quick kiss to doyum’s temple. they begin to walk farther from the others more and was only stopped by seunghwan’s voice.

“you guys, where are you going? dorms are this way.” he says. jinsung looks back at seunghwan.

“we’ll be back before curfew!” jinsung shouts back. doyum looks back to see seunghwan shaking his head, a smile on his lips. as they part ways with the group, jinsung and doyum end up a little ways past the quad, hands still intertwined in their middle.

they sit down at one of the benches before jinsung breaks the comfortable silence. “i’m glad you came to my game.” he says.

“it was no biggie, we’re… b-boyfriends, aren’t we?” doyum answers with a light blush and a small smile as he looks at jinsung.

“no, cause you see, it is a biggie for me, it’s a huge biggie. you… sungwon said you don’t do well in huge crowds, but you still went there… for me, so thank you.” jinsung says as he plays with doyum’s fingers. doyum giggles and jinsung swears his heart skips another beat. add that to the list of “sounds jinsung would like to hear forever” next to kim taehyung’s voice. they spend roughly thirty minutes asking each other pointless questions before doyum says, “we should get back now. it’s already a few minutes past curfew.” jinsung nods, stands up, and offers a hand to the other. doyum accepts it and together, they walk back to the dorms.

“so, any plans for tomorrow?” jinsung asks him. doyum shrugs.

“practice, probably. we’ve got a showcase coming up.” he answers.

“where will you practice? back at the shed i first saw you in?”

doyum nods and lets out a tired sigh.

“hey, ‘yum, come on, you got this.” jinsung says as he squeezes doyum’s hand. doyum gives jinsung a small smile.

“YAH! do u know what time it is?!” the voice of student council public relations officer junior shin yechan greets the two as they near the dorms. yechan has his arms crossed over his chest, and a frown on his face. jinsung sheepishly scratches the back of his neck.

“who are those, yechan, and what are there classes?” the voice of student council president senior yoo yongha pops up from behind yechan, with vice president senior kim taewoo in tow.

“sophomores jung jinsung 2-C, jeon doyum 2-A.” yechan answers.

“taewoo, write their names.” taewoo nods and proceeds to write on the clipboard he has in his hands.

“i’ll let you both off with a warning this time, but i’ll be keeping an eye on you two. albeit only a few minutes, five minutes past ten is still late. make sure this never happens again.” yongha says. as jinsung and doyum bow, the three officers leave as they continue their rounds.

when they straighten up, they both exchange looks before they laugh out loud. as they enter the dorms, jinsung puts his hand over the small of doyum’s back, guiding him and reveling in the blush the other had.

“m-my dorm room’s this way. i’ll guess, i’ll see you on monday?” doyum says as he faces jinsung.

jinsung doesn’t answer. he smiles, kisses doyum’s forehead once before he watches the other leave.

* * *

_**[saturday d-3]** _

* * *

 

 

doyum pants as he finishes practicing his routine for the nth time for their upcoming showcase. it was a little past one pm, and doyum should really eat lunch now, but his moves weren’t as sharp and he missed that one beat in the chorus and so he refuses to eat until he gets it perfect. he was laying on the ground, arms and feet spread like a starfish, as he tries to catch his breath.

“delivery for mr. jeon doyum?” a voice at the door startles him. he sits up before he smiles and then he lays back down.

“have you eaten lunch yet?” jinsung sits beside doyum’s head as he carefully puts down the plastic full of take-out he had on the ground. doyum shakes his head no, a small pout on his lips. jinsung laughs as he takes the food he brought out one by one.

“come on, you big baby, sit up so we can eat up.”

“i’m your baby.” doyum whines. jinsung stills for a moment as he stares at doyum, a little taken aback. the other realizes what he just said and he flushes red, before he sits up, facing away from jinsung. he takes a minute or two before he turns back to jinsung, legs crossed in the middle and face still burning red.

“i… uh.. i-I’m sorry it just slipped out.” he says as he scooches over closer to jinsung. the other laughs before he leans over and kisses doyum’s cheek.

“it’s alright, i don’t mind calling you that if that’s what you like.” jinsung says as he breaks his chopsticks in two. doyum doesn’t answer, he just breaks his own chopsticks before he eats his ramyeon, blush never leaving his face.

* * *

 

“so, this showcase of yours.” jinsung starts. he was currently laying on the floor, head on doyum’s lap as the other softly runs his fingers through his hair.

“hmm?” doyum asks. jinsung closes his eyes as he relaxes at the other’s touch.

“when is it?” jinsung feels doyum’s fingers turn still before he continues.

“three weeks from now, will you come watch me?” doyum asks as he smiles. jinsung opens his eyes and gives his own smile.

“of course, i will.” doyum blushes before he leans down, capturing jinsung’s lips in a small kiss before he pulls away. he laughs at jinsung’s stunned expression before he pushes the other away from his lap.

“thank you so, so much for the lunch, but i have to go practice. go awaaaay now.” doyum whines as he stands up. jinsung laughs and stands up before he takes a seat on the couch.

“show me.” jinsung says. doyum, who was standing by the speakers, turns to jinsung.

"i'll probably change a few things but sure, okay." he says. he sees that the other was staring at him, a soft smile in place. doyum smiles back, turns the speaker on again, and then dances.

they were both so caught up in each other that they failed to notice a pair of eyes watching them closely from a distance.

* * *

_**[sunday d-4]** _

* * *

 

 

jinsung is stupid cause he forgot to ask doyum for his dorm room number yesterday, as well as his cellphone number. this stupidity leads jinsung to where he is now, knocking on several doors on a sunday morning. it takes him three doors and one tired junior cursing him out before he finally chances upon doyum’s friend, sungwon.

the kid’s eyes were puffy from sleep, and his bed hair was still present.

“jinsung-hyung? what are you doing here?” sungwon asks with a small yawn.

“sungwon, what is doyum’s dorm room number?” jinsung asks. sungwon doesn’t answer, he just points to the door parallel to his. jinsung looks incredulously at sungwon.

“this one?” he points to the door. sungwon nods before he yawns again, stretches and closes his door with a small, “bye hyung.”

“thanks, kid!” jinsung manages to shout before sungwon fully closes the door. he walks over to the other door and knocks continuously for about 5 seconds before he stops, then he listens. he hears something falling on the floor, a faint “goddammit,” and some shuffling from behind the door until it opens.

there stood doyum, hair all wild, bare-faced and left hand rubbing the back of his waist. when he sees jinsung outside, his eyes widens.

“j-jinsung.” he says, shock evident in his voice.

“good morning, baby!” jinsung smiles and doyum’s face flushes red again before he slams the door on the other’s face.

“what? no, hey doyum, don’t be like this, open the door!” jinsung says as he knocks on the door repeatedly.

“no!” he hears doyum shout from inside, and he could just imagine the pout on the other boy’s face.

“no?! come on now, don’t be mean!” jinsung says with a small laugh. it takes a minute or two later for doyum to finally open the door again, face covered with a black face mask.

“what’s up with that? i wanted to see your face!” jinsung said as he enters doyum’s room. the other repeatedly smacks his arm.

“okay, okay. i’m sorry! quit it, come here!” jinsung says as catches doyum’s arm and pulls him in for a hug.

“what are you doing here even? it’s nine o’clock in the morning on a sunday.” doyum says, voice muffled through jinsung’s shirt.

jinsung pulls away. “i am taking you out on a date.” he says as he plants a quick kiss to doyum’s forehead. “now go, take a shower, wear something casual!”

doyum sputters before he lets out a sigh and nods.

“you can wait by my bed, i’m sorry it’s a little messy.” doyum says as he goes to his dresser, picking up a few pieces of clothing before he heads to the shower. jinsung sits on doyum’s bed, his eyes taking in the surroundings. it was your typical teenage boy’s dorm room, jinsung supposes. textbooks piled up on a desk next to a small laptop, a couple of manga comics sitting in the corner. what catches jinsung’s attention the most was the huge brown stuffed bear toy on doyum’s bed. he squeezes it and marvels on how soft it was.

 _i got to get myself one of these._ jinsung says as he cuddles the toy. jinsung hears the shower turn on, and he figures doyum’s going to be in there for a while. he lays down on doyum’s bed, hoping that the other wouldn’t mind.

jinsung takes in a deep breath, loving the fact that everything smells so much like doyum, he finds it intoxicating. he inhales deeply again, and then he lets out another satisfied sigh. before he knows it, jinsung closes his eyes and drifts to sleep.

* * *

 

he’s awakened by the sound of a blow-dryer. jinsung sits up so fast, his head spins a bit.

“oh are you awake now?” he hears doyum’s voice. jinsung lays down again with a groan. he hears doyum laugh before he turns the blowdryer off.

“did you just get out of the shower?” jinsung asks. he sits upright slowly now and he yawns.

“it’s been a good five minutes since i got out.” doyum answers. jinsung sees him standing by the desk, towel still over his shoulders. jinsung frowns before he stands up and grabs the other’s hand.

“jinsung, wha-“ jinsung makes the other sit down on the bed.

“your hair is still wet, you’re going to get sick if you don’t dry it properly.” jinsung says as he grabs doyum’s towel and proceeds to dry his hair. doyum lets out a small giggle as he stares up at jinsung, and the other gives a small smile back. after making sure that doyum’s hair was okay, jinsung lightly kisses doyum’s nose. 

“come on now, we don’t want to be late.” he puts the towel on doyum’s chair before he makes his way out, doyum following suit. after making sure that his dorm room door was locked, doyum tucks his keys into his pocket and off they go.

* * *

 

_is this what going on a date with the person you really like feels like?_

jinsung feels like he’s on cloud nine. although he and doyum didn’t follow the routine dates that jinsung is so used to cause it happens almost everytime ((which usually involves eating lunch in one of the most expensive restaurants in town, then shopping for clothes, all of which are paid for by jinsung of course)), they still spent the entire day together, playing games at the arcade and singing at the karaoke place downtown. sure they went shopping for a bit, but the only thing they bought was new slippers cause doyum said he needed new ones. doyum even refused to let him pay!

jinsung has gone on lots of dates before, but not like this. he used to just say the word and his date would agree, his date would follow him. jinsung’s word was law, but not doyum.

doyum is his own person, he laughs at jinsung’s extremely corny jokes but he’s not afraid to tell jinsung off like during their shopping trip when he told jinsung to “keep your wallet in your pocket, i’ll pay for my own stuff.” jinsung swears doyum even told him to ‘fuck off’ at some point when he lost to jinsung in a racing game at the arcade. doyum isn’t afraid to smack him, or to tease him, and honestly, jinsung just feels so… free.

he doesn’t need to put up a front against this man. he doesn’t need to be jung jinsung, basketball player, son of one of the biggest conglomerates, mr. perfect guy. jinsung can be himself, and doyum’s totally fine with that.

“jinsung, i got your ice cream!”

jinsung’s musings were interrupted by the object of his thoughts, and he smiles as he takes his sweet confection from doyum’s hand. they just finished eating dinner at a nearby family restaurant, and doyum requested they get ice cream after cause he likes his desserts.

they were walking along han river now, hand in hand as they eat their ice cream. they sit on one of the benches there, and doyum frowns as he realizes he’s already finished eating his.

“do you want some of mine?” jinsung offers. he sees doyum’s eyes twinkle in delight, _like a kid,_ jinsung thinks, before the other shakes his head vehemently.

“no thanks, i already finished mine.” doyum looks at the scenery in front of them. jinsung smiles and continues eating.

“so… jinsung… i, uh… kind of wanted to ask you something.” doyum says, his hands wringing themselves together nervously.

“alright, shoot.” jinsung says, a bit muffled as he continues eating his half-eaten ice cream.

“isn’t this a bit too fast?” doyum asks softly. jinsung cocks his head in confusion.

“what’s moving too fast?” he asks back. doyum bites his lower lip, hands wringing themselves a little bit rougher now.

“us. this. we, you and me.” doyum answers.

“oh.”

they were silent for a while as jinsung finishes eating his ice cream.

“do you find it too fast?” jinsung asks. doyum sighs and pouts before he clasps his hands together.

“kind of? i don’t know, i mean, i didn’t even know you five days ago, and now we’re on this amazing date and…” doyum stops, and jinsung thinks as he waits patiently for doyum to continue. _he didn’t know me, at all?_

“…this is just so overwhelming, it’s… scary.” doyum says, voice small. jinsung puts his hand over doyum’s.

“i’m sorry this overwhelms you. how about this, tell me what you used to do before so i can make this as comfortable for you as possible.” jinsung says. this time, it was doyum’s turn to cock his head in confusion.

“used to do?” he asks.

“y’know, things you used to do with your significant other in past relationships.” jinsung answers. he sees doyum blush beet red before the other’s gaze looks to the ground.

“…doyum?” jinsung asks again. doyum’s blush goes from his neck to his ears, and jinsung notices that doyum was back to wringing his wrists, a sure sign that he was nervous.

“i’ve actually… never had… a relationship before.” doyum’s voice gets smaller with every pause, and jinsung… jinsung’s mouth falls open in shock. “you’re… the first.”

_i’m his first boyfriend?_

“i’ve always been busy with school and dance and no one wanted to date me anyways until…” doyum looks at jinsung straight in the eyes. “...until you.”

jinsung could feel his heart skip a beat yet again. _seriously, how many times will he do this to me?!_ his mouth closes and opens a few times, jinsung’s sure he looked like one of those pufferfish you could find in city aquariums.

jinsung takes a deep breath before he lets it out in one full swoop.

“you serious?” jinsung asks. doyum looks at him sharply.

“of course??? excuse me for not getting any dates, mr. jung jinsung. it’s not my fault i’m not a hot, handsome, tall man like you.” doyum says as he pouts, arms crossing over his chest as he looks the other way. jinsung laughs.

“you think i’m a hot?” he asks as he stifles his laughter. doyum sputters excuses and jinsung laughs some more. jinsung drapes his arm over doyum’s shoulder and pulls him closer.

“i’m kidding, i’m kidding.” he says as he kisses doyum’s puffed out cheek. they were silent for a while, jinsung playing with doyum’s hair as the other softly puts his head on the other’s shoulder.

“i’m glad i’m your first boyfriend.” jinsung says as he softly nuzzles doyum’s hair. doyum looks up at him.

“how many relationships have you had?” he asks. jinsung tenses before he looks at the ground.

“a lot.” he answers curtly. doyum looks at him curiously.

“how many would you say?” he asks. jinsung tenses before he chuckles awkwardly.

“just a lot.” doyum senses that jinsung wasn’t comfortable with answering, so he doesn’t pry. jinsung’s thankful for that.

“shouldn’t we be going back though? we wouldn’t want trouble with the student council again.” doyum says as he takes a look at his watch. jinsung nods and he takes doyum’s hand in his before they start to make their way back to the dorms.

they reach the dorms five minutes before curfew, and they only get a warning glance from yechan. the public relations officer lets them through, nonetheless. jinsung escorts doyum this time to his dorm room.

“baby, would you mind giving me your phone number? i just realized i never got it from you.” jinsung says as they walk to doyum’s dorm room. the other looks back at him in embarrassment.

“b-baby?!” he exclaims, cheeks flaming red. jinsung laughs as he takes his phone out. they reach doyum’s door, and jinsung leans on the wall as he hands doyum his phone. he waits for doyum to input his number in, and when doyum hands him his phone back, he gives doyum a tight hug.

“goodnight, baby. have a good night’s sleep okay? dream of me.” jinsung says. doyum hugs jinsung just as tight.

“you too… b-baby.” doyum stutters, but hey, at least he managed to say it. as they pull apart from the hug, they stare at each other’s eyes for a second before they both simultaneously lean in for a kiss. it was a simple one really, just a peck of the lips.

and then another.

and another.

they stop when doyum lets out a cute giggle that had jinsung hugging him tighter than he did before. the kisses they shared were short, and sweet, and pure and jinsung was sure this is the first time he’s ever felt this.

it’s so… addicting.

doyum is so addicting.

“good night, jinsung. i had a really fun time today. thank you.” doyum says as he caresses jinsung’s cheek with his hand. jinsung leans in to the touch as he smiles back.

“sweet dreams, ‘sung.” doyum says as he opens his dorm room door.

jinsung doesn’t answer, he just stares dreamily at doyum until the other closes his dorm room door.

* * *

_**[monday d-5]** _

* * *

 

 

school is much more fun with jinsung and his friends around, doyum notes. his morning consisted of being escorted once again to his classroom by his lovely boyfriend, jung jinsung. and his lunch consisted of laughter and conversations from his new friends.

basketball player kim junseo hung out with them too that time, and although they say it’s because he’s one of the current starting players and that “they should stick together,” doyum thinks it’s more than that when he sees the flirtatious glances he and captain lee seunghwan share all throughout lunch time.

“make sure you guys come watch our game on wednesday okay?” junseo says as he smiles at sungwon and doyum. doyum squeezes jinsung’s hand before he smiles. “yeah, we will. we promise.”

jinsung smiles back.

after classes end, doyum finds himself walking to the shed where he and jinsung first met. since jinsung has basketball practice from four to five thirty pm everyday, doyum figures that he shouldn’t slack off now, especially with the showcase only three weeks away. doyum starts to make his way over to the shed when he passes by the gym. he takes a small peek inside.

doyum has absolutely no idea what’s going on, being a complete and total noob in sports, but he does see jinsung and the others playing, their faces serious and their eyes in complete focus. doyum finds it fascinating how one could get completely lost in the zone like that.

“get lost, freak.” doyum feels himself get shoved to the side and he lands on the ground. he hears a snicker before he sees the offender enters the gym.

“doyum, are you okay?” junseo, who coincidentally walks outside as the other went in, rushes to him and asks as he helps doyum up.

“yeah, i’m fine. i gotta go, though. goodluck with basketball practice, hyung!” doyum says as he starts to leave. before he could go, junseo grabs his arm.

“doyum, wait.” he says. doyum turns back to him, eyes wide and questioning. “be… very, very careful, okay? always make sure you have your phone with you, and as much as possible, avoid walking alone for the time being.” he says, voice tinged with a slight desperateness that doyum couldn’t understand.

“o…kay?” doyum answers him, utterly confused.

junseo lets go of him and nods. “alright, you can go now. stay safe, doyum.”

“you too, hyung!” doyum waves before he leaves.

junseo bites his lip in worry as he looks inside the gym, eyes watching three players who were talking amongst themselves by the bleachers very carefully.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're reading this far then thank you! leave me anything below, a comment, a critique i appreciate everything!!
> 
> also~~ if you're going to push through with this fic then get ready cause most of the angst will be in part 2!!! uwu


	2. pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day six to showcase d-day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings! this chapter contains depictions of violence! please make sure you're okay before proceeding!

* * *

 

_**[tuesday d-6]** _

* * *

 

this day was not going well for doyum. it just feels ultimately… wrong.

first of all, he could not for the life of him get junseo’s words of warning yesterday out of his head. it was too… specific. second, jinsung wasn’t there to walk him to class today so honestly, that sucked and third, it was just him and sungwon for lunch that day as well. the other found out that the basketball team were all excused for a whole day practice for their semi-finals match tomorrow.

doyum gets bummed out that he won’t be able to see jinsung at all today, but he figures it’s for the good of the team and the school anyways. doyum does  ** _not_** want to be ‘that’ clingy boyfriend.

for the most part, doyum’s day passes by uneventfully and he’s once again on his way to the shed to practice his routine until his legs give out in exhaustion. as he reaches the shed though, doyum freezes.

kim minhwan, choi junta, lee doyoung.

doyum’s bullies were there, splayed out on the couch and the ground while they were playing cards. doyum takes a few steps back, intent on just running away from here when he accidentally steps on a twig. the sound catches the attention of one on the three, and he looks outside to see doyum standing there, frozen in fear.

“hey guys look! it’s jung’s newest victim!” choi junta says as he drags doyum in by the wrist forcefully. he tosses doyum and lets him fall to the floor.

“d-don’t you have p-practice?” doyum asks quietly.

minhwan lets out an irritated 'tsk' before he grabs doyum’s hair. “you think just because you have a big bad boyfriend now, you get to ask us questions, huh?!” he shouts as he stands up and forces doyum to stand up with him. “you better than us now, huh?! you punk?!” he shoves doyum to the nearby wall, and the other groans as he feels another bruise coming on. doyum slides to the floor.

“once jung ends this shit with you, you’re going to be so. dead. meat.” doyoung says this time as he crouches beside doyum. he grabs a tuft of doyum’s hair and uses it to lift his head up. doyum’s face scrunches up in pain, tears falling from his eyes. “count your days princess, jung doesn’t date people longer than a week. if my count is correct, your time’s almost up.” doyoung sneers at him.

junta goes near him this time, his hand replacing doyoung’s tight grip on his hair. he forces doyum to stand up against the wall as he slams a hand on his neck.

“jung asks people out, he dates them for seven days and then he breaks up with them, without fail. don’t think you’re so special. remember when your boyfriend did this to me, you little twat?” junta chuckles darkly. “the moment your time’s up, you are going to experience something far worse than this.” he says as he tightens his grip. doyum’s tears are freely falling now, and they fall down his cheeks in rivers. doyoung releases him, only to give him a solid blow to the stomach before kicking him as well.

doyum doubles over in pain, and the last thing he hears before he blacks out were the other’s laughter as they walk away.

* * *

 

doyum didn’t know how long he was out, but when he came to, it was already dark outside. doyum stands up, feet wobbly as he tries to make it over to the couch. he clutches his middle, feeling a big bruise already there from where he was punched and kicked earlier this day. doyum couldn’t help but let out silent tears again as he recalls everything that happened, what they did to him, and what they said to him.

 _they’re lying._ he says to himself. _jinsung won’t break up with me… right?_

doyum counts the days. excluding the day they met, today would be… the sixth.

if those bullies were telling the truth, then…

doyum lets out more tears as he hugs his knees to his chest, ignoring the stabbing feeling of the bruises on his abdomen. _no, they’re not telling the truth. jinsung wouldn’t do that to me._

as doyum calms down, he grabs his bag from the floor before he takes his cellphone out ((doyum feels stupid for leaving it on vibrate, he should’ve known better)). he sees the time, 11:24 pm, which doesn’t surprise him. what surprises him was the the amount of missed calls and texts he has.

_sungwon: hyung, where are you? i’m hungry_

_sungwon: hyung, you aren’t in the dorms?_

_sungwon: doyum-hyung where are you?_

_sungwon: hyung this isn’t like u_

_sungwon: omg hyung pls reply im getting worried_

_sungwon: oMG HYUNG WHY AREN’T YOU ANSWERING YOUR PHONE_

_sungwon: HYUNG WHERE ARE U_

_sungwon: JINSUNG SAID HE HASN’T SEEN YOU EITHER WhERE ARE YOu_

_xxxxxxxx: this is student council public relations officer shin yechan. your friend is panicking and has asked us to help him contact you. please do answer the call._

_xxxxxxxx: sophomore jeon doyum?_

doyum scrolls up a bit before he reads some more.

_xxxxxxxx: your phone’s gps isn’t on, and you aren’t answering your phone. this is becoming serious, please reply as soon as you can._

_xxxxxxxx: doyum, this is jinsung. where are you?_

_xxxxxxxx: baby i’m getting really worried, it’s getting late._

_xxxxxxxx: are you mad at me? why aren’t u replying_

_xxxxxxxx: you aren’t answering my calls either doyum where the fuck are you it’s curfew already_

_xxxxxxxx: this is student council president yoo yongha. it’s already past curfew. come back to the dorms immediately._

_xxxxxxxx: sophomore jeon doyum, why aren’t you answering your phone?_

_sungwon: hyung im not playing around, where are you!??!?!?_

_xxxxxxxx: doyum this is junseo. i got this number from jinsung. please call me when you get this message._

_sungwon: hyung im really crying now where are you?_

_xxxxxxxx: baby, where are you please tell me where you are_

doyum didn’t have the strength to read anymore, he’s just so confused and tired and torn up about everything. he lets out more tears, until his phone vibrates again. doyum stares at the unknown number before he presses ‘answer’ and puts it on speaker.

 _“doyum?! oh thank god.”_ junseo’s voice floats from his phone’s speakers. doyum feels a fresh wave of tears come from his eyes and he lets out a small whimper as it flows down his cheeks in small cascades.

 _“…doyum?”_ junseo asks again. doyum sniffles loudly, and he hears junseo shuffling about on the other line.

 _“where are you?”_ doyum coughs loudly, and he lets out a whine as he feels how hoarse his throat is with all the crying.

 _“doyum, i need you to tell me where you are okay?”_ doyum clears his throat before he manages to talk.

“s-shed.” he whispers.

 _“i don't live in the dorms, but my house is near, stay safe, im on my way.”_ junseo drops the call and doyum tosses his phone on the other side of the couch with shaky fingers. he tries to calm himself down as he takes slow deep breaths.

it doesn’t work.

doyum’s not a stranger to panic attacks. he sometimes gets them before he performs on a show, and trust me, doyum has been to a lot of shows. doyum grips his knees so tight his knuckles turn white. his breathing was coming out in harsh puffs and doyum finds it so, so hard to breathe. his already blurry vision becomes blurrier, and he tries to focus on staring at the palm of his hands. _it’s no use,_ he thinks, he couldn’t stop shaking. he whimpers as he lets out a few tears again, and he clasps his hands together.

_remember what grandma taught you. breathe in deep through the nose, breathe out through the mouth._

doyum closes his eyes and rests his forehead on his knees. he hears something rustle and something akin to footsteps outside and his heart hammers in his chest.

_i-is it them again?_

with weak and trembling legs, doyum scrambles to sit on the floor, behind the couch, his breathing heavy. a flashlight comes across the room, and doyum’s breathing stops, his hand coming up to cover his mouth.

“…doyum?” a voice whispers. doyum lets out a big sigh of relief before he crawls out from behind the couch.

“j-junseo.” he says. the other rushes to him, eyes worried.

“oh god, doyum what happened to you?! sungwon, jinsung, taekhyeon, seunghwan, everyone has been so worried!” junseo helps him up, doyum doesn’t answer. as junseo lets doyum sit on the couch, he stands up and takes a look around with his flashlight.

“there it is.” junseo walks on over to the side and turns the light switch on before he makes his way to sit next to doyum.

“…did you tell jinsung i was here?” doyum asks as he leans on the couch, breathing still heavy.

“no, and now that you mention it, i really should, wa-“ before junseo could take his phone out, doyum shoots out a hand, the action making him whine a little from the suddenness of it, before he shakes his head. junseo lowers his hand and sighs.

“what happened?” junseo asks.

“i got beat up.” doyum answers, eyes closing as he rests his head.

“by who?” junseo asks again. doyum doesn’t answer this time, he closes his mouth in a thin line.

“…was it kim, choi and lee?” junseo asks a beat later. doyum gives him a side glance, tired eyes meeting junseo’s before he nods.

“i knew it, i fucking knew it.” junseo ruffles his hair in irritation. “those three bastards have always been picking on you, and when i heard them over talking about wanting to beat someone up real bad, i had a feeling it was going to be you.” 

doyum gives a weak chuckle. “well, this ain’t even it, junseo.” he says, voice raspy. “they told me they were going to do something far worse to me... once jinsung breaks up with me.”

“what?! what could be worse than this?!” junseo exclaims. doyum merely shrugs and he groans a bit as he moves, hands on his middle.

“what did they to you? pick up your shirt.” junseo stands and looms over doyum. the other merely lets his hands fall back before he looks to the side. junseo takes it as permission to lift the other’s shirt up and junseo’s mouth falls open with shock and horror.

doyum’s entire side was covered with a huge ass bruise that went from just below doyum’s rib cage to almost half of his stomach.

“doyum, what the actual fuck! we need to get you to the infirmary now!” junseo says as he tries to help doyum stand up. the other softly pushes him away.

“i’m fine, please, just… sit down, i have questions and i need answers.”

junseo looks at doyum shadily before he takes his seat again.

“i’ll try to answer as much as i can.”

doyum lets out a sigh, might as well get this over with.

“is it true that jinsung never dates anyone for more than a week?” he asks, eyes closing shut as he leans his head back again against the couch. junseo doesn’t answer, and doyum sneaks a peek at him again to see that the other was biting his lip, and he looked like he was absolutely apologetic.

doyum lets out another sigh, this one full of exhaustion and sadness. junseo didn’t need to answer, it was written all over his face. “so it **_is_** true…” he says. he stares at the ceiling, mentally berating himself as he feels another fresh wave of tears come. that explains why he couldn’t say how many he’s dated before.

doyum sniffs as he lifts his head, eyes looking at the ground.

“has he done this a lot?” he asks.

“kind of, he’s been doing this since freshman year.” junseo answers. doyum lets out a scoff as his tears once again fall from his cheeks.

“did he even really like me? or was i just another one of the countless toys he’s added to his collection.” doyum’s voice cracks at the end, and junseo… junseo could do nothing but stare at him woefully.

“doyum, please, i am not the one you need to talk to about this, you and jinsung need to talk this out yourselves.” junseo pleads. the other scoffs again, but the tears flow down his cheeks non-stop.

“talk what out? he asked me out, he dated me, and tomorrow, he’s going to break it off cause that’s what he fucking does. i don’t fucking get what it is that we need to talk about.” doyum hisses.

“doyum, please.” junseo pleads again. the other grits his teeth and wills his tears to stop. junseo stands up.

“come on, we need to get you to the infirmary.” he says. doyum glares at him through red-rimmed eyes before he looks away and finally, he nods. as he stands up, he feels all the blood rush out of him and he ends up feeling a bit woozy, before he ultimately falls.

the last thing he heard was junseo’s panicked yelling of his name, and then everything goes black.

* * *

_**[wednesday d-7]** _

* * *

 

 

doyum wakes up to white. white ceilings, white sheets, white bed. _i must be in the infirmary._ he groans as he tries to sit up right.

“hyung?” he hears a voice from the side to see sungwon there. the kid must’ve been asleep too before doyum woke him up with his groaning. once sungwon sees that doyum was up, he fully wakens.

“HYUNG, YOU’RE AWAKE!” sungwon rushes up to him and gives him a hug, only to let him go when doyum groans in pain.

“sorry, hyung.” he says. doyum smiles at him before he opens his arms and sungwon carefully hugs him this time.

“what happened, hyung? you weren’t replying to my messages at all and you weren’t answering your phone either, junseo-hyung gave me the biggest shock of my life when he came running to the dorms in the middle of the night, you unconscious in his arms.” sungwon asks softly. doyum doesn’t answer him, he just hugs sungwon tighter as he buries his face in the other’s neck.

“yes, doyum, do tell us what happened last night.” both he and sungwon look at the source of the voice to see student council president yoo yongha standing there by the foot of the adjacent bed next to doyum. vice president kim taewoo was there too, standing behind the senior.

sungwon lets go of doyum and moves to the side, but he still takes a hold of doyum’s hand as yongha walks closer.

the other takes a seat on doyum’s bed before he clasps his hands together.

“so, what happened last night?” he asks softly. doyum bites his lower lip and he squeezes sungwon’s hand, but otherwise he doesn’t answer.

yongha lets out a sigh. “doyum, i can’t protect you if i don’t know what happened, or who did this to you.”

this time, it was sungwon who squeezes his hand. as he looks at the other, sungwon gives him an encouraging smile and a nod.

doyum nods too before he starts to shakily talk about what happened yesterday afternoon. he talks of how he was only on his way to practice when he sees the three bullies playing cards ((which was a clear violation of the rules, yongha notes, playing cards aren’t permitted on school grounds,)) and how he was attacked and threatened for more before being left unconscious.

with every word that comes out of his mouth, doyum’s voice gets softer and weaker, and honestly, the only thing that grounded him throughout this whole ordeal was sungwon’s constant squeezing of his hand. he shows them his bruises, the ones on his stomach and the ones on his shoulders and back. as he puts his shirt back on, he looks at sungwon to see that the other had tears brimming in his eyes and he was giving his hyung a sad, sad look.

“i’m sorry you had to experience that doyum. rest assured, we will take the corresponding action for this. those three didn’t just bully you, this is counted as assault.” yongha stands up before he turns to taewoo. they nod at each other before they leave the room.

“…hyung.” sungwon says, voice wavering. doyum looks at the other to see the first few drops of tears fall. doyum slowly pulls him in for a hug.

“h-hyung.” sungwon says as he buries his face in the other’s neck. doyum shushes him as he caresses the younger boy’s hair.

“hey, it’s okay.” doyum says softly. “i’m okay now, i’m alive, aren’t i?” sungwon straightens himself up and wipes his tears away with his sleeve. doyum smiles at him as he rubs sungwon’s tear stained cheeks with his thumbs. he looks at his bedside to see a sunflower, and he stares at in confusion. sungwon follows his line of sight.

“ah, that. jinsung-hyung left that for you this morning.” sungwon says. at the mention of **_his_** name, doyum feels a fresh wave of sadness wash over him.

 _it ends today._ he thinks as he lets out a sigh. _we end today._ doyum bites his lower lip.

“he was so worried about you last night. hyung was up all night too. he didn’t leave your door, i don’t think he even got enough sleep for the semi-finals game today.” sungwon babbles on. doyum’s heart soars at what he hears, but his mind tells him _that’s only because you’re dating. once today’s done, you’re going to be nothing to him again._

sungwon sees the sad sigh that doyum once again makes.

“what’s wrong, hyung?” he asks. doyum smiles sadly at sungwon.

“he’s going to break up with me.” he says. sungwon’s mouth opens in disbelief.

“hyung what?! why would he do that, you guys are so good together!”

doyum snorts, sad smile still in place as he looks at his hands.

“he was only playing around, he was never really serious. it’s okay, i mean, i knew something was up, he would never really like someone like me.” doyum says. sungwon furrows his eyebrows in confusion. jinsung wasn’t serious?? he stayed up all night worrying about him and he never even left doyum’s side once when junseo came until he absolutely needed to. jinsung even wanted to stay and not play in the semi-finals game just to watch over doyum!

“hyung, are you su-“ doyum cuts him off with a finger to his lips.

“please, let’s just not talk about it.” doyum says. sungwon doesn’t say anything more, he just picks up a card that jinsung left and hands it to doyum.

_baby, if you’re reading this, then it means i’m not there, and i’m super, super sorry. i don’t know how i’ll fare later without my goodluck charm, but i'd rather have you resting. please be okay, i’ll be back as soon as i can. i hope the game finishes early, so i can come straight back to you right away._

doyum sees that the next part of his note was wrinkled and messy, kind of like the words were written, erased and then re-written a couple of times.

_i love you._

doyum’s breath hitches, and although his heart rejoices at what he reads, he decides to crumple the paper before he tosses it to the nearby trash.

“hyung… are we not going to their game?” sungwon asks. doyum looks at him and he sees the sad look the other has. sungwon was probably looking forward to this game.

“sungwon, if you want to go to the game, it’s okay. don’t worry about me, i’ll be fine!” doyum says. sungwon shakes his head vehemently before he grabs a chair and sits next to the bed. doyum sighs before he swings his feet over the bed and shakily stands up. sungwon stands up as well as he helps doyum. the other drapes his arm over sungwon’s shoulder before he gives the younger one a small smile.

“come on, let’s go.” sungwon smiles back, arm at the back of doyum’s waist for support as they walk out of the infirmary, sunflower forgotten by the bedside table.

* * *

 

they were losing. the gap was only getting bigger and honestly? seunghwan couldn’t see them winning this match if they keep playing the way they do. he asks for a timeout when they were halfway done through third quarter.

his main concern? jinsung.

the player was obviously distracted, and seunghwan couldn’t blame him. he wasn’t even sure if the other had any sleep last night. they didn’t know to what extent doyum’s injuries were, but he didn’t look so good when junseo came rushing in past midnight.

“okay, we have got to get it together if we want to win this game.” he says as they huddle together. “jinsung are you sure you’re still up for this, you can always sit out, you know that don’t you?” seunghwan asks the other. jinsung looks away before he spots something from the corner of his eye.

“…sungwon?” he mutters. they look at the bleachers to see that it was sungwon, walking up the stairs with two water bottles in hand. if sungwon’s here then that means…

“yah jung jinsung!” jinsung pays seunghwan no attention. his body just… moves.

jinsung’s eyes never leaves sungwon and he watches as the teen sit down on the bleachers next to the door. as he gets closer, jinsung’s feet move faster, he sees **_him._**

“doyum!” he shouts through the crowd. the two obviously couldn’t hear him, the crowds’ cheers overpowering his own. as he gets nearer, sungwon finally looks over the crowd and sees him.

“jinsung-hyung!”

jinsung runs past the others to get closer, and when he reaches the two, he kneels beside doyum as he takes the other’s face into his hands.

“are you okay now? what are you doing here? shouldn’t you be resting?” he asks, eyes floating all over doyum as he looks him over. doyum doesn’t answer, and jinsung swears he actually looks kind of sad now.

“w-we came to cheer you guys on, hyung!” sungwon interjects. jinsung smiles at him before he looks back at doyum.

“hey, are you okay?” he asks again softly, thumbs rubbing over the other’s cheeks. doyum gives him a small smile again, before he gives jinsung a small, sweet kiss on the lips.

“go.” doyum says as he pulls away. at that moment, jinsung hears his name being called. he looks back and sees taekhyeon at the foot of the stairs. he stands up before he looks back at doyum.

“cheer loudly for me, okay?” he says. he doesn’t wait for doyum’s answer, he just runs back to the court, fully rejuvenated.

* * *

 

 

“hyung…” sungwon starts. doyum looks into his eyes and he sees it, pity.

doyum sighs. “there’s still a few more hours until this day ends.” he says. he looks at the court and sees jinsung pass the ball swiftly to taekhyeon and the other making another shot.

“i’m going to cross that bridge with jinsung when we get there, for now, i just want to enjoy the last few hours i have as his boyfriend.”

sungwon grabs doyum’s hand and gives it a small squeeze, the younger one giving him a small empathetic smile.

doyum doesn’t smile back.

* * *

 

miraculously, the game ends with seunghwan and his team taking home the winning trophy. once again, after the game ends, jinsung’s eyes scan over the crowd to look for doyum. he frowns when he sees that the two weren’t where they were earlier.

“hey, hyung. did you manage to s-“ jinsung didn’t get to finish his sentence when he gets jumped on by a few freshman girls, asking for his autograph.

“sunbae, you looked so cool out there!” one gushes. jinsung gives out a curt smile as he hurriedly signs the girls’ papers.

“sunbae, can we have a picture?”

jinsung wasn’t paying attention cause obviously, he was still looking for doyum so he curses himself mentally when he mindlessly blurts out a “sure.” he smiles at the camera with the three girls before he tries to excuse himself.

he tries to get away, but one of the girls suddenly hugs him and kisses his cheek. jinsung pushes her away, and she squeals before she asks her friends, “did you get that?!”

jinsung frowns and turns around before he stops right in his tracks.

_doyum._

apparently, he and sungwon went down just before the game ended so they could congratulate the team.

_holy shit._

doyum’s face was blank as he looks at the other, but jinsung knows.

_he saw._

doyum turns and starts to run ((well, tries to, as fast as he can in his condition)) and jinsung follows suit.

“doyum wait!” he shouts as he runs after doyum. it doesn’t take him much to catch up to the other, especially since doyum’s still sore from his injuries.

“doyum, please wait, it wasn’t what you think it is.” he says as he manages to grabs doyum’s arm. he was expecting the other to be angry at him, to be mad, he even expected doyum to curse at him, but this… jinsung wasn’t expecting this.

as he turns doyum around, the first thing he sees is tears.

doyum was crying, and not just any cry.

he looks absolutely heartbroken.

jinsung loosens his hold on doyum’s arm and when the other doesn’t run, he pulls the other in for a hug. for a minute or two, doyum just sobs in jinsung’s arms. his arms are limp beside him, and he rests his forehead on jinsung’s chest as he cries hard.

“oh, baby. i’m so sorry.” jinsung says as he caresses doyum’s hair softly. doyum just sobs harder, and he slowly clutches jinsung’s shirt. jinsung rubs a hand on the other’s back and shushes him softly, like one would when trying to calm down a baby. a minute or two passes by again, and jinsung could feel doyum’s sobs die down into small sniffles and hiccups.

“have you calmed down now?” he asks as he looks at doyum’s face tenderly. the other was pouting, and sniffling non-stop.

“y-you don’t have to pretend, jinsung. i already know.” doyum says as he wipes his nose with his sleeves. jinsung looks at him, confused.

“know what?”

at this, doyum scoffs before he pushes jinsung away.

“stop acting stupid, jinsung. i know you know what i’m talking about.” he says.

jinsung’s really confused. he actually has absolutely no idea what the other was talking about.

“baby, honestly, i don’t? if this is about the girl, then you-”

“stop calling me that!” doyum cuts him off. “and yes, this is about the girl! this day hasn’t ended yet, and already you’ve found a new person.” doyum says as he looks at the ground. jinsung finally realizes what doyum meant when he said he knew.

_shit, doyum knew._

“was it fun, jinsung? was it enjoyable for you, making me fall like that, making false promises a-and then just…” doyum chokes on a sob again. he turns around, and wills his tears to stop but to no avail. his tears drop one by one, and once again, doyum finds himself crying.

“d-doyum, i-“ jinsung starts to explain himself but doyum stops him with a hand in the air and a faint, “don’t” slipping out from his lips.

“i’m going to do this, so that when people ask, you can finally say that this time, you were the one who was dumped.” doyum says. he faces jinsung again before he gives a small sad smile. jinsung feels his throat constrict. “this was fun, jinsung. t-thank you for everything, but l-let’s stop here.” doyum manages to say, a few tears making their way down his cheeks. he passes by jinsung, and that’s when jinsung wakes up.

_no, he can’t lose doyum, he **can’t.**_

“doyum, wait, please i-i-“ jinsung grabs hold of doyum’s arm again, but this time, the other harshly shrugs him off.

“jinsung please!” doyum shouts. jinsung feels tears brimming in his eyes. _doyum never shouts._ he takes a deep breath as he looks at jinsung with pained eyes. “please don’t hurt me…” doyum trails off. jinsung’s reminded of the first time they met, the other's fear stemming from the bullying he's experiences. it wasn't the case this time, though. this time, his words were directed for jinsung, and jinsung alone. “please don’t hurt me more than you already have.”

with that, doyum turns back around and walks away, leaving jinsung standing there, with tears falling down his own cheeks.

* * *

 

“man, have you been crying?”

jinsung flinches when he hears taekhyeon’s voice echo throughout the locker room. it’s been an hour at most since the game ended, and jinsung wasn’t expecting anyone to still **_be_** in the locker room.

“oh, uh, yeah.” jinsung answers nonchalantly as he rummages through his sports bag for a new pair of clothes. taekhyeon was a little taken aback with the other’s answer. _jinsung? crying?_

“what happened, man? did your dog die or something?” taekhyeon asks, trying to lighten up the mood.

jinsung doesn’t answer, and when taekhyeon looks at him, he sees jinsung just standing there, eyes in a faraway gaze. _what the fuck?_ taekhyeon walks closer to him and waves a hand in front of his face.

“hey, jinsung, man, are you okay?” he asks. the other jerks, before he lets out a sigh and sits down on one of the benches.

“he… he broke up with me.” jinsung says as he clasps his hand together, eyes downcast.

“wait, what? doyum? broke up with you?” taekhyeon asks as he sits on the bench opposite jinsung’s own. the other just gives a nod.

“not the other way around?” he asks again. jinsung shakes his head.

“well what happened? why’d he break up with you? and after we won the game too.” taekhyeon leans back, arms crossing over his chest.

“he found out.” jinsung answers. taekhyeon cocks his head to the side.

“found out what?”

“that i used to date people for a week before i leave and break their hearts.”

“well, that’s sa- wait, what?” taekhyeon shrugs before he registers what the other just said. “what do you mean, "he found out"? you didn’t tell him?!”

jinsung looks at the ground, his lips pursed shut and taekhyeon feels irritation bubbling in him.

“jung jinsung, you are an asshole. doyum looked like a really sweet guy, what were you even thinking, not telling him about it in the first place?!” he says as he stands up and paces in front of jinsung. the other doesn’t answer, he just keeps his eyes downcast, and lips snapped shut.

“you let him fall for you, jung jinsung, i swear to fucking g-“

“i didn’t want it to end.”

taekhyeon stops when he hears jinsung’s soft voice. he turns to him, and sees that the other was holding his head on his hands, elbows propped up on his knees.

“…what?”

jinsung lets out a shaky breath as he wipes his face with his hand.

“i didn’t tell him about it… because i didn’t think i’d break it off after seven days. i didn’t want it to end.” he says. taekhyeon sits in front of him again.

“holy shit, man.” taekhyeon says as he catches jinsung’s eyes. when he sees the other’s absolutely heartbroken look, he sighs. “you actually fell for him.”

jinsung lets out a groan as he buries his face in his hands again.

“he was so different, he saw me differently, did you know that he didn’t even know who i was before i asked him out? with him, i didn’t have to be anyone else but me.” he says. taekhyeon sits beside him now and pats his back softly.

"wow, you actually fell for him, and it only took you seven days..." taekhyeon says. when the other remains quiet, taekhyeon sighs.

“jinsung, honestly? he would’ve found out sooner or later. the only mistake you did here was not telling him yourself.”

jinsung lets out a deep sigh.

“what do i do now? i’ve never- i’ve never… felt like this before. i have no idea what to do. i’ve always been the one leaving, i’ve never been the one who was left...” jinsung says as he looks at taekhyeon.

“hmmmmm.” taekhyeon breathes out loud before he looks back at jinsung. “what do _**you**_ want to do?”

“i… i want to get him back, i can’t lose him.” he says. taekhyeon smiles before he pats the other’s shoulder. taekhyeon stands up before he grabs his bag.

“then get him back.” he says as he walks away. he turns to jinsung before he leaves the room. “and this time, don’t let him go.”

* * *

**_[next day - thursday]_ **

* * *

 

 

doyum once again finds himself in the infirmary, only this time, he’s being scolded by the school nurse and sungwon’s stifling his laughter as he sits beside him.

“why did you leave?! you know you’re injured! i haven't treated that yet! now take off your school shirt so i can see what the damage is! i swear, this kids...” she says as she leaves, probably off to get some supplies to bandage his bruises.

“sorry.” doyum says as he unbuttons his shirt. at this, sungwon stops laughing, and he helps his hyung take his shirt off. seeing the black and yellowish bruises on his hyung’s body makes sungwon nauseous and he looks away.

“hey, it’s okay. you can go wait outside.” doyum says, hand reaching out for sungwon. the other shakes his head as he grips doyum’s hand.

“i am not leaving you alone, hyung.” doyum gives him a small smile, and sungwon smiles back.

“jeon doyum, is he here?” the two of them look back to see the silhouette of a person from behind the curtains.

“he is, but he’s resting. you aren- hey! get back here!”

the curtains pull back and there stands jinsung, panting.

“j-jinsung.” doyum manages to say.

_no, not yet, it’s too soon._

jinsung’s eyes travel from doyum’s face down to his bare body, where his mouth opens at the sight of the black and blue yellowish bruises.

doyum grabs the blanket and he tries to cover his body, but it was too late.

jinsung already saw.

“you, young man! i told you he’s resting!” the nurse smacks jinsung’s head. she pushes past jinsung to get to doyum, who looks away when jinsung catches his eyes.

“doyum…” he says as he takes a step forward. the other bites his lip.

“hyung… you better go.” sungwon says as he walks in front of jinsung, blocking his way. jinsung looks at the youngest man in front of him.

“who did this to him?” he asks. sungwon looks back at doyum, worried, before he turns back to jinsung.

“hyung, just go.” he says, pushing jinsung lightly this time.

“no, tell me who the fuck did this to him!” jinsung’s voice raises a bit.

“who do you think?!” doyum’s voice startles both jinsung and sungwon, and they both look back to see doyum glaring. he was all bandaged up, and the nurse quietly slips away from the scene.

“sungwon, can you give us some time alone for a minute?” jinsung asks, voice pleading. the youngest looks at doyum with worried eyes, asking for any kind of sign. once doyum nods, he warily looks back at jinsung before he nods as well.

“you aren’t allowed to hurt hyung, anymore. if you do, i am going to punch you.” he threatens jinsung before he leaves too. jinsung just stands awkwardly there for a while before he grabs a chair and sits beside doyum’s bed.

“doyum, i’m sorry.” he starts. the other doesn’t answer, he doesn’t even look at jinsung, he just plays with his fingers.

“i was stupid. i didn’t tell you upfront, that was my mistake. i didn’t mean for you to get hurt.” jinsung continues. at this, doyum snorts.

“if you didn’t mean for me to get hurt, then you should’ve told me that from the beginning. you should’ve told me that we had a deadline, you should’ve told me that you weren’t going to be in it for the long run. you never should’ve taken me out on that stupid date, or bought me lunch, or protected me from those three monsters.” doyum doesn’t give jinsung the opportunity to speak. “you never should’ve asked me out, jinsung.”

jinsung’s heart hurts at the other’s words, but he knows that the pain he’s feeling isn’t even half of what doyum felt.

“i didn’t want us to end, doyum!” he says, hands shooting out to grip the other’s tightly. “i wasn’t thinking of breaking it off with you after seven days.” doyum wants to believe him, honest! but really… he shrugs jinsung's hand off of his.

_no, not yet, it’s too soon._

“yeah right. go away, jinsung. i’m tired, and sleepy, and i need to rest.” doyum lays down on the bed and turns away from the other. a few minutes passes by and the silence of the room makes doyum think that jinsung left, but he's proven wrong when he feels a blanket being lain on his body.

“rest well, love.” he hears before soft footsteps padding away. doyum bites his lower lip and wills to keep his tears at bay.

* * *

_**[next day - friday]** _

* * *

 

“doyum, i’m sorry but with the extent of your injuries, i cannot let you participate in the showcase!” doyum deflates.

“but, sir, i haven’t missed a showcase in my entire life! please, i don’t want to miss this one!” he begs. his teacher looks back pointedly at him.

“can you even dance in that condition?”

doyum’s mouth snaps shut. “i’m glad we have an understanding.” his teacher says before he turns to leave.

“sir, wait! i still have about two weeks before the showcase! i’ll recover by then! i won’t join the group numbers but at least, let me perform my solo.” he shouts before the teacher could get far.

his teacher stops and turns to look at him before he gives out a sigh.

“show it to me two days before the showcase. if i see any ounce of discomfort, i am not going to let you perform in that showcase. do you understand me?” he says. doyum’s eyes lights up in delight and he gives his professor a ninety degree bow.

“yes, sir!”

* * *

_**[monday – two weeks left before showcase]** _

* * *

 

 

it’s been four days, and jinsung hasn’t come near doyum that much after that time at the infirmary. he figures the other needed to be alone for a while, so jinsung didn’t force himself either.

doyum needed time, jinsung respects that.

it doesn’t stop him from keeping an eye on his little love, though. wherever doyum is, jinsung would be pretty much there, unseen and unnoticed, but still there.

the night doyum went missing, jinsung was a wreck. he couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, couldn’t calm down. heck, he would’ve gone out and looked for him if only president yoo yongha wasn’t there to stop him. the only thought that ran through his mind was, _“doyum, doyum, doyum.”_

jinsung cannot let that happen again, so he creeps, he watches, he guards. no way in hell was he going to let those three monsters near his doyum again.

a shiver runs down jinsung’s spine. _my doyum._

 _he isn’t yours, you dumbfuck._ a voice inside his head contradicts, and jinsung mentally rolls his eyes.

speaking of those three monsters, with the help of the student council, (and he wouldn’t admit it but after jinsung made a call to his father,) they’ve been rightfully expelled for physical abuse and assault. jinsung wanted to beat them up badly too, but after remembering that doyum didn’t like violence, he decides against it. he’s not going to do anything that might lead to doyum hating him even more.

“jinsung you’re lost in thought again. penny for your thoughts?” seunghwan drapes an arm over his shoulder as they enter the cafeteria. he looks around, hoping to see a tuft of silver and orange hair, but when he sees none, he sighs before he takes a seat at their regular table.

“okay, don’t bother telling. i know exactly what you’re thinking. doyum isn’t here.” seunghwan says as he pats the other’s back before he grabs his lunch. jinsung doesn’t eat, he hasn’t got much of an appetite these days. he just buries his face in his arms, slouching over the table.

“no, wait. isn’t that them?” at taekhyeon’s voice, jinsung’s head pops up and his eyes once again scan the crowd.

_there he is._

he was being pulled by sungwon to one of the empty tables and the youngest makes him sit down. jinsung sees sungwon point a finger at him, and doyum laughs before he nods. sungwon then proceeds to walk away, most probably to get their lunch. from this view, jinsung could see him clearly and he rests his chin on his arms as he stares.

“jinsung, you’re drooling.” taekhyeon says. jinsung glares at him. as he looks back at doyum’s table, he sees that junior kim junseo was there too, and he and doyum were conversing like old friends.

“when did junseo and doyum get so close?” he asks.

“beats me.” the other shrugs.

“what are you guys talking about?” seunghwan asks as he sits down, lunch tray in hand.

“junseo and doyum’s budding relationship.” taekhyeon deadpans. seunghwan chokes on his water as jinsung glares at taekhyeon.

“what?!” seunghwan asks, clearly shocked. taekhyeon points his lips at the table where the three were staying at. when he sees that sungwon sees him, he waves his arm high. sungwon smiles, nudges doyum and junseo before he points to them as well.

“smile and wave boys, smile and wave.” taekhyeon says. seunghwan and jinsung both try, but they only end up with smile that looks more like a grimace when they catch the eyes of the others. taekhyeon laughs out loud.

“s-sunbae, i like you, please go out with me!” a loud voice beside jinsung pops up. as he looks to the side, he sees the girl who hugged him after the games standing there, arms outstretched with a letter in her hands.

the entire cafeteria goes quiet as they wait for jinsung’s reply. his mouth opens and closes a few times before he looks to doyum’s table. sungwon and junseo were staring at him, but doyum… doyum was nonchalantly eating his pasta, paying the scene no mind. jinsung turns back to the girl before he smiles.

“sorry, i already have someone i love.”

the cafeteria erupts in whispers because _really? **the** jung jinsung??_

“o-oh. a-are you dating already?” she asks, her hands falling limply beside her.

“no, we aren’t. i love him, but i fucked up and now he hates me. but i’m going to do everything to get his trust back.” jinsung looks at doyum, and he sees that the other wasn’t eating anymore, he was just staring at his food. “i’m willing to do anything for his forgiveness.”

“it looks like you really love him. he’s very lucky to have you.” at this, jinsung laughs.

“honestly? **_i’m_** the one lucky to have him.”

* * *

**_[friday – showcase d-day]_ **

* * *

 

 

“yah, jinsung! over here!” jinsung cranes his neck up to see taekhyeon waving his arms around like a madman, and seunghwan smiling cheekily at him, eyeing the bouquet of flowers he has on his hand. jinsung makes his way over to them, and he smiles seeing sungwon and junseo there as well.

“hi, hyung.” sungwon greets him. jinsung pulls the other for a hug, before he looks at the stage.

“has he performed yet?” he asks. sungwon shakes his head.

“not yet, but i think just one more number then it’s his turn.” as sungwon finishes talking, he fishes out his phone before he dials a number.

“hyung? oh yeah, he just got here. wait a minute, i’ll give it to him.” sungwon hands his phone to jinsung, who looks at it in confusion.

“doyum-hyung wants to talk to you.”

_what?!_

jinsung’s mouth falls open and he accidentally lets go of the bouquet in his hands, his palms suddenly sweaty. the flower arrangement would have fallen to the floor, if not for seunghwan’s fast hands catching it. jinsung takes the phone with shaking hands before he puts it to his ear.

“h-hello?” he asks softly.

“….hey, jinsung.” doyum’s voice greets floats through. jinsung lets out a sigh of relief, he could almost cry. he hasn’t heard doyum’s voice for more than two weeks, it seems.

“god, i miss you so much.” he breathes out. doyum doesn’t answer for a while, and jinsung’s afraid he screwed this up again. he was about to apologize when doyum speaks.

“…i miss you too.” jinsung actually lets a tear out at that one. _curse his sentimental heart._

“this piece i’m doing… please listen to the song… and watch me carefully okay?” doyum says. jinsung nods, even though he knows doyum wouldn’t see him. 

“i will, doyum. break a leg out there.”

doyum giggles, and jinsung swears his heart stops for a good minute. “cheer loudly for me, okay?”

doyum drops the call, and for a while, jinsung just stands there, eyes glazed, seemingly feeling nothing, but actually feeling everything. his heart and mind was enjoying a very euphoric feeling.

_is this what it feels like to be in love?_

“hyung? hyung???? hyung!”

jinsung jolts back awake to see the other four standing there, smiling at him. he couldn’t help but smile back.

“what?” he asks. they shake their head at him before sungwon asks for his phone back.

as jinsung hands it over, the lights dim and doyum’s teacher stands in the middle of the stage, mic in hand and throat clearing before he speaks.

“that was the last piece for our group performances. to start off with our solo performances, we have sophomore jeon doyum, one of the best students i have ever had the pleasure of teaching here in this school. he will be performing a contemporary dance, his own choreography with a song from his favorite artist, BTS. everyone, please give him a warm round of applause!”

cheers echo all throughout the auditorioum as the dim lights completely turn off. for a moment, there was only darkness, until, a spotlight hits center stage.

jinsung actually stops breathing.

_he’s beautiful._

his outfit was all white and sparkling, the fit tight enough to accentuate his lithe body, but still loose enough to show fluidity. _it suits him very well_ , jinsung thinks. doyum’s eyes were searching, until they land on jinsung, and the other feels like all the wind in his lungs got knocked out by that one, single glance.

_holy fuck, i’m so in love with him._

the first notes of BTS’ butterfly plays through the speakers and doyum just starts to dance. he moves swiftly like the wind, gracefully like silk and honestly, jinsung’s so mesmerized by it, by him, that he actually holds on to sungwon’s shoulder for support.

_that’s him, that’s the love of my life right there._

the chorus of the song rolls around, and jinsung swears that doyum was looking at him, eyes conveying a message that jinsung completely understands.

_곁에 머물러줄래_   
_( **will you stay by my side?)**_   
_내게 약속해줄래_   
_( **will you promise me?)**_   
_손 대면 날아갈까 부서질까_   
_( **if i let go of your hand, you’ll fly away and break.)**_   
_겁나 겁나 겁나_   
_( **i’m scared, scared, scared of that.)**_   
_시간을 멈출래_   
_( **will you stop time** )_   
_이 순간이 지나면_   
_( **if this moment passes** )_   
_없었던 일이 될까 널 잃을까_   
_( **as though it hadn’t happened** )_   
_겁나 겁나 겁나_   
_( **i’m scared, scared, scared, i’ll lose you.)**_

the lyrics say everything that doyum wants to say to him. doyum’s afraid he’s going to lose him. jinsung’s eyes brim with tears again, and with determined eyes, he nods to himself. when doyum stands still and looks at the crowd as part of his choreo, jinsung puts a hand up, making sure that doyum can see before he balls it to a fist and holds it close to his heart.

_you won’t lose me, never._

doyum’s breath hitches, before he smiles at him, and he loses himself in the music once again, moves much more powerful than before. as the song ends, doyum stands there, panting heavily as the crowd cheers loudly, louder than they ever had that night. he and jinsung lock eyes before he smiles again, raises his own hand up, balls it to a fist, and does the same thing jinsung did.

jinsung cheers for him the loudest.

* * *

 

“hyung, you were amazing! i almost cried during your piece!” sungwon tackles the lithe dancer as he walks out from backstage. doyum laughs.

“thank you, sungwonnie.” he says. sungwon, being the clingy baby that he is, refuses to let go of doyum even when the other were congratulating him.

“you were the star of tonight’s show, doyum, hands down you were the best!” seunghwan says as he hugs doyum too.

doyum laughs as he hugs back. “thank you, hyung.” as doyum hugs junseo and taekhyeon, the latter slaps sungwon’s hand and makes him let go.

“come here, you little punk.” taekhyeon grabs sungwon once his hold was loose.

“no, hyung! i don’t want to go!!!” sungwon says back at doyum as he’s dragged away by his three hyungs. doyum laughs again as he watches the four leave.

“hey.”

doyum turns around, and smiles. there he is. jung jinsung.

“hey yourself.” he says back. jinsung hands him the bouquet of flowers before he asks for the other’s hand. doyum gingerly gives it to him.

“you were absolutely breathtaking.” jinsung says as he gives doyum’s hand a small kiss. he looks up, and sees doyum blushing.

“walk with me?” jinsung asks, eyes pleading.

doyum intertwines their fingers before he smiles.

* * *

 

they were sitting at a bench now, the same bench where they sat that night after jinsung’s big game. their hands were still intertwined, and jinsung honestly feels like everything isn’t real.

“am i dreaming? is this really happening, am i really sitting here, with you, holding your hand?” he suddenly asks. doyum laughs, his giggle sounding a lot like bells to jinsung’s ears. doyum squeezes his hand.

“you aren’t. i’m very much real, see?” doyum pinches jinsung cheek with his other hand. jinsung smiles before he takes doyum’s other hand too. he puts doyum’s palm on his face before he leans on it and closes his eyes, content.

“what are you, a cat?” doyum says as he laughs. jinsung laughs too as he lets go of the other’s hand. they sit in comfortable silence, until jinsung speaks.

“i’m sorry.” he says. doyum looks at him.

“i know, i’m sorry too.”

jinsung shakes his head as he stands before he kneels on one knee in front of doyum. he gingerly cradles doyum’s face in his hand.

“no, you aren’t supposed to be sorry for anything. **_i_** hurt **_you._** _”_

doyum places his palm over jinsung’s hand.

“i know for a fact that i’m not the only one who’s been hurt. we hurt each other, jinsung. so i’m so sorry for that.” jinsung says nothing, he just rubs doyum’s cheek affectionately with his thumb.

“c-can i… can i kiss you?” jinsung asks. doyum blushes red before he smiles, and nods. jinsung wastes no time, he catches doyum’s lips in a kiss, thinking to himself,  _god, i missed this._

his other hand cups doyum’s other cheek as he feels the other’s fingers tangle themselves in his hair.

_god, i love him so much._

as they break apart, he revels in the fact that doyum was blushing beet red, and that he was trying to catch his breath.

“wow.” doyum breathes out. jinsung smiles before he stands up, pulling doyum up with him for a hug. 

“thank you for forgiving me. i can’t stand the thought of you ever hating me again.” he says as he squeezes doyum tightly. the other laughs.

“i never hated you, jinsung. i was hurt yeah, but i could never hate you.” doyum says as he buries his face in jinsung’s chest.

“i love you so, so much. you know that right?” jinsung mumbles into doyum’s hair. the other sputters before he mumbles something like, “yeah i know.” slowly, he puts his arms around jinsung too, encasing the other in a tight embrace.

“i… i love you too.”

* * *

 

jung jinsung **_had_** a pattern. yes, **_had._**

he used to ask people out, he dated them for exactly seven days, and then he broke up with them.

not anymore, though.

the reason why?

jeon doyum.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> if you're reading this, then A BIG BIG THANK YOU FOR GETTING THIS FAR!!!! 
> 
> leave me anything below, a comment, a critique, I appreciate everything!!!


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